


Behind the Camera

by changingshadows



Category: LOONA (Korea Band), NCT (Band), Red Velvet (K-pop Band), TWICE (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fashion & Models, F/F, Fluff, Light Angst, Modeling, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Photography, Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-22
Updated: 2020-06-15
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:34:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22356478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/changingshadows/pseuds/changingshadows
Summary: Kim Dahyun is a photographer for an agency whose forté is taking pictures of flowers.So imagine her shock when she discovers she's going to be doing the photoshoot for the most famous model in Korea, Bae Joohyun.
Relationships: Bae Joohyun | Irene/Kim Dahyun
Comments: 10
Kudos: 252





	1. Forté

_As if being a photographer is hard work._

Dahyun rolls her eyes at the comment she's seen thousands of time on her Instagram and Twitter as it pops into her head. Walking into the agency always comes with this early morning conflict of, _is being a photographer really that hard?_

Yes, she would snap back with. Yes it _is_ hard work.

Work that Dahyun takes a lot of pride in.

She enters the agency and says her usual _good morning, how are you, how's your pet, your wife, your goldfish,_ and waves at everyone she sees when she doesn't really know 90% of the people who work there.

She only knows three people, and even then only one of them she would ever consider a true friend.

Ah, maybe _that's_ the "easy" part everyone talks about.

_You get to meet so many people!_

_Eh, but we don't keep in contact,_ she'd say.

_Your agency must have so many employees! You must be best friends with all of them!_

_Well, I go to company dinners with them if that counts?_

_You have so many followers. You must be so popular!_

Popular. That's a word that sticks out a lot.

Because effectively, Dahyun _is_ popular. Popular with the crowd. Her clients. Her followers seem to think she's pretty cool, even though her idea of a chill night in is watching a terrible action movie while eating ice cream on a Friday night.

She's popular with her colleagues. But again, she doesn't really know most of them. But she smiles and waves and goes through her usual morning routine while she clocks in. She's polite.

Kim Dahyun is _polite._

A photography major who managed to get an internship at one of the top agencies in Korea.

And she is also inclined to tell people that her portfolio is mostly filled with her taking pictures of random flowers and she calls it _art_ but that's absolutely fine. She likes to remind the masses that this is her forté.

But Dahyun is also polite. Entirely too polite. Which has its pros, and its cons.

So when she arrives at her desk and finds a folder on it titled _BAE JOOHYUN, 2020 COVER SHOOT,_ she has to bite her tongue really hard to stop herself from screaming out loud.

Wouldn't want to disturb everyone else.

Out of nowhere, her boss appears to her right and says, "Good morning, Dahyun!"

"Good morning...um, sorry, what is _this_ doing on my desk?" she queries, picking up the folder and holding it in a manner that says, _I'm about to give this back to you. Do not argue with me._

"Oh! You're booked to do Miss Bae Joohyun's photoshoot!" Doyoung, her boss, replies, smiling from ear to ear.

"No I'm not," Dahyun defies in a very blunt manner. It's not that she has an issue with models. It just isn't her strong point. Why she was ever set up for this, Dahyun has no idea.

Doyoung straightens his back and his excited demeanor quickly returns to his default: serious and very businessman-like.

"Yes, you are," Doyoung retorts. Dahyun swallows thickly and holds the folder in both hands, staring at it like she can not _believe--_

"The photoshoot is at midday, be at this address half an hour beforehand to set up and get ready and everything," her boss hands her a small grey card with a logo on the front and an address on the back, which Dahyun reluctantly takes. She exhales loudly as Doyoung walks away, clearly not wanting to hear anything else on the matter.

Throwing the folder back down on the desk, the blue-haired woman runs a hand through her hair and glares at the business card, like it's her ticket to hell.

Suddenly, her only _true_ friend at the agency, Chaeyoung, surprises her from behind.

"Boo!"

Dahyun jumps and turns around and Chaeyoung (the younger of the two of them), pulls an awkward face and apologises.

"It's cool. Hey, Chaeyoung," Dahyun says, looking back down at the folder, confused and a little pissed off.

"You don't seem happy what's--" That's when Chaeyoung spies the folder. "You're doing Bae Joohyun's cover shoot?" she asks in an astonishedly loud whisper.

Dahyun's eyes travel the room before they fall onto the business card, then that _damn_ folder.

"Yeah, I guess I am."

\--

The journey to the studio where the photoshoot will be taking place is quick, but oh so unenjoyable.

Again, no issue with models.

 _'Flowers, people! Nature! Wake up! Portraits are not my forté!'_ she screams in her head.

Then she remembers her boss' reason (read: excuse) for making her do this.

_"It's important for you to step outside your comfort zone! Do something you've never done before! How are you going to build your skills if you don't expand your horizons?"_

Which, Dahyun had to begrudgingly agree with. Expanding horizons is important in many walks of life. Getting to know multiple skills is always a plus, and Dahyun couldn't help but feel that despite being _nowhere near_ prepared for this, she would take it on the chin as experience.

That at least makes this whole thing feel a little better.

The first thing Dahyun does when walking into any set is familiarise herself with her surroundings. Where she could get the best angles. What would be the best lighting choices. The best poses for the model (scratch that, Dahyun's never done this before. She's never had to tell a flower to pose a certain way).

She _tries_ to think of the best poses.

But then she thinks, _'Well, Joohyun's a model, she'll be able to think of the best poses, surely?'_

Then, another person on set responsible for the lighting, reminds her that it _is_ Dahyun's job as the photographer to do that so, the already stressed woman is now completely screwed.

Sitting on the chair next to most of the equipment, she picks up her camera and makes sure it's working.

Her mind goes to Joohyun.

Dahyun truthfully doesn't know that much about Joohyun. She knows she's a model. Knows what she looks like. Has heard her speak and has seen that one viral video where she rapped on stage in front of hundreds of people and wouldn't you know, she was quite good at that.

But there wasn't much Dahyun _knew_ about Joohyun. She didn't think she would get to know the model on a personal level at all.

_'Say hi. Be friendly. Do your job. Take the pictures. Leave.'_

Seems like a pretty good agenda for the day.

\--

Joohyun sits in front of the mirror while she has her hair and makeup done. Her bright, sequin top reflects the lights above them and she laughs at a joke her stylists, Seulgi and Seungwan, had just told her.

"God, that is _so_ funny, holy shit."

"No need to tell me, should've seen Seungwan's face!" Seulgi exclaims, and Seungwan puckers her lips at her girlfriend before fixing Joohyun's eyeliner.

A few minutes pass, and another one of Joohyun's friends, Sooyoung, enters the room, "Hey, did you see the photographer? She's kinda cute."

"Um, excuse me, Joohyun's not here to get this girl's number, 'kay? She's here to look fabulous, take her pictures, then go onto her interview where she will answer the same goddamn questions she's been asked _thousands_ of times in order to get an article," Seulgi states, like it's an itinerary.

"Life cycle of being a model," Joohyun replies with a lopsided smile on her face. There's a pause. "But she's cute, huh?"

"Yeah! Really pretty, nice long blue hair--"

"Blue?" Joohyun cuts in. Sooyoung nods in response.

"And she has a winning smile too. I just spoke to her, she's really friendly."

Seulgi rolls her eyes and Seungwan snorts before saying, "Okay! That's you done!"

Seulgi quickly readjusts Joohyun's hair as the model stands and checks herself out in the mirror.

Turning around dramatically, she openly asks, "How do I look?"

"Hot," Sooyoung bluntly replies.

"Gorgeous," Seungwan smiles.

"Amazing, now you have a photoshoot to get to!" Seulgi shoos her out of the room and Joohyun has to slow herself down to not trip up in the heels she's wearing.

As soon as she's on set, she's greeted by the staff bowing and waving at her, which, with a smile, Joohyun returns. Her eyes then fall on the photographer standing there, a camera around her neck.

And wow, she _is_ cute.

Dahyun simply smiles and bows the same way, not sure of how to compose herself since she _is_ standing opposite the most famous model _in the country._

_'Act cool, act cool, act cool.'_

Her mind then draws a blank. How does she photograph models?

_'I should be honest with her.'_

Slowly walking up to Joohyun, Dahyun whispers, "Just for full disclosure, I usually take pictures of flowers and trees and-and...grass and... nature so…"

"This isn't your strength? That's cool. I'll uh...go easy," Joohyun winks before making herself at home on the set. Par for the course for any model.

And Dahyun has to lock her knees into place because _what the fuck._

_'She just...winked at me? This is just Joohyun's personality, this is cool. This is fine. At least she'll go easy on me so that's...good?'_

God, does Dahyun wish that someone who was better at portraiture was doing this instead.

She backs up until she's standing in her designated area for taking the photos. Dahyun made sure to look at some of Joohyun's photoshoots before this. You know, just to get an idea of what she was about as a model.

Joohyun stands in the middle, waiting for instruction. Dahyun looks a little like a deer in the headlights, and Joohyun notices.

"Um, I'm so sorry, how rude of me, I forgot to ask: what's your name?"

Dahyun blinks, like the question brought her back to reality, "Um, Dahyun."

"Dahyun. Nice to meet you."

They both stand in awkward silence and the staff around them have _no_ idea what's going on.

"Do you not know the concept of this shoot?" Joohyun suddenly whispers. Dahyun tries to picture the folder in her mind.

"Isn't it kind of like...edgy and a little bit, bad girl-ish?"

Joohyun chuckles and nods, "We'll go with that."

"So um… I guess… Pose like that?"

The model would be lying to herself if she said she wasn't immediately drawn to Dahyun's personality.

Off to the side, Seulgi, Seungwan and Sooyoung exchange looks.

"Um, ain't this girl meant to be a photographer? Why does she look like she doesn't know what she's doing?" Seulgi whispers.

"Cut her some slack," Seungwan nudges her, "she's photographing _Bae Joohyun._ Must be a lot of pressure."

"Must be a lot of _bullshit."_

The staff around hush them with fingers to their lips and Sooyoung whispers, "I wonder what hair dye she uses."

And the couple to her right just stare at her.

On set, Joohyun poses in many different ways and Dahyun takes a couple dozen pictures. Being a photography major, at least means she knows about lighting and angles, so every so often she chimes in to tell Joohyun, _move around this way a bit more, tilt your chin a little, look towards the camera._

Perhaps, she _is_ getting the hang of this.

And every look Joohyun gives to the camera, she finds her eyes darting towards Dahyun.

The once awkward, slightly unconfident woman who had never done a model's photoshoot before, has quickly become very much the opposite.

It takes Joohyun by surprise, and Dahyun's poised stature, makes it _very_ hard for the model to keep her eyes away.

The sudden yet gradual change from the Dahyun who seemed like she had never picked up a camera before in her life, to Dahyun, the photographer, is something Joohyun wasn't expecting, and is slightly taken aback by.

When their eyes meet, Joohyun sees the passion Dahyun has for photography within them. Her drive. Her professionalism. Her straight back combined with how her hands work with the camera, leaves the typically self-assured, badass Joohyun, a little flustered.

So, she uses that.

The next time Dahyun tells Joohyun to focus on the camera which, from afar the three people who joined Joohyun have _never_ seen happen before, Joohyun takes this opportunity to not only look into the camera, but _through_ it.

Joohyun sits on a chair backwards, her arms resting across the back of it, her legs either side. She rests her chin on her hands in the middle and lifts an eyebrow up. A little cocky. A little powerful.

And _quite_ flirtatious.

Dahyun sees her face through the lens and blinks. Takes the picture. Looks down at the screen. In that time, Joohyun stands and rests one foot on the chair then rests her elbow on her knee.

Glancing up, Dahyun sees this pose and swallows the rapidly forming lump in her throat.

_'Fuck.'_

Another raised eyebrow. Dahyun doesn't know if this is something _all_ models do, if Joohyun's the only one who does it or if--

No. There's no way.

She isn't do this specifically for Dahyun right?

Everything about the pose screams that that _might_ be a possibility. And damn, Dahyun can't think straight.

She lifts the camera and looks through the lens. Joohyun spares her the eye contact and looks off to the right which, in a way, Dahyun is thankful for. She doesn't know if she can handle another intense eye contact session with Bae Joohyun.

Until, Joohyun kicks it up a notch.

She sits down properly on the chair and, resting one elbow on the back, turns her head and looks straight back at the camera.

Dahyun can't focus, nor can she focus her camera properly when she involuntarily hits the button and curses herself immediately.

"Shit," she mutters under her breath.

Shaking her head a little and blinking, Joohyun asks, her voice soft, "What's up?"

"That...that picture was blurry I'll...I'll have to take it again."

In no way can she hide the strong blush forming on her cheeks as Joohyun smirks and gets back into position.

This time, Dahyun lifts the camera, focuses it properly, looks into the lens, sees Joohyun's face, and those _eyes, then those lips, then her makeup, then her hands, and her outfit…_

Dahyun's in such a daze, she's _lucky_ this picture turned out okay.

"Right, that's a wrap!" Dahyun calls out, gently allowing the camera to hang around her neck. Her face is burning, as are her hands and the back of her neck.

Joohyun smiles and stands up before bowing to the other staff, who applaud her. She then turns to Dahyun, who has since taken off the camera and placed it on the table with a computer on it showing all of the pictures she has taken.

"Thank you very much. That was...a very enjoyable photoshoot."

Dahyun turns to her. Not wanting to say too much in case it ends up being the verbal equivalent of a keyboard smash, she simply bows and thanks Joohyun in a tiny voice.

And Joohyun finds her so incredibly adorable. Yet powerful. And professional. And Joohyun almost has a full on crisis when she re-enters the dressing room.

"Um, what was that?" Seulgi ask when she, Seungwan and Sooyoung walk in, leaving the latter to shut the door.

Joohyun turns to her, "I'm gonna be honest with you, I don't know."

"You were _flirting_ with the photographer!" Seulgi replies through gritted teeth, like Joohyun should know the answer already.

"Wow, yeah, that was Sexual Tension 101," Sooyoung chimes in.

"It was?" Joohyun asks, gripping her hair at her scalp.

"Yeah! Don't act like we didn't see it!" Seungwan says, folding her arms in disbelief that Joohyun did all of that and thinks the three of them _didn't_ notice.

Out of nowhere, there's a knock at the door. Sooyoung opens it to reveal Yeri.

"Oh, come in," Joohyun exhales, sitting down at her dressing table. She begins biting her nails out of habit, which Seungwan reminds her not to do.

Yeri walks in and shuts the door, "What'd I miss?"

"Joohyun's got a little crush on the photographer," Sooyoung divulges casually.

"I do _not--_ Ugh!"

"Well do you mind telling us what that _was_ out there because that looked pretty much like you have a crush on her to _us!"_ Seulgi almost demands.

Joohyun puts her head in her hands then lifts it after a few seconds, "I don't know. Okay? I don't know. Something... something different happened."

"We can tell, you've never acted like this before on any other shoot," Seungwan reminds her, sitting down on another chair.

"I know, I know... that's the thing. There's something about her. Something so...true. Like I can see it in her eyes, there's this passion that I've never seen before in a photographer. And I noticed that and that changed something and now I…"

"You...like her?" Yeri pipes up.

Joohyun thinks about it. "I...I guess I… There's something about her."

"Maybe you should...get to know her more?" Yeri suggests.

"Um, there is _no_ way she's dating the photographer, thank you!" Seulgi proclaims.

"Where was the word _dating_ in my question?" Yeri snorts.

Joohyun bites her bottom lip. Without much hesitation, she gets up from her chair and runs past everyone and out of the room.

"Go! Go! Get your girl!" Sooyoung calls out, before clasping a hand over her mouth and laughing as the others shush her.

Dahyun's eyes flicker upwards to see Joohyun approaching her as she's clearing up. She halts, the pink tint reaching her cheeks again.

"H-Hi…" Joohyun greets her.

Immediately surprised, Dahyun blinks at the sight of Joohyun being shy. She never imagined Joohyun to be shy but then, Dahyun never really knew Joohyun to begin with.

"Hey."

"I um...I know this may be kind of a bold question but...I was thinking um, I really enjoyed doing this photoshoot with you and… I really liked how you carried yourself and how, you seem to really, truly, know what you're doing."

Dahyun scoffs a little at the compliment, eyeing the floor, completely baffled yet, extremely coy.

"Yes I know, it was a bit of a rocky start _but,_ for someone who has never done this before...you did a really good job."

Dahyun glances back up at the taller model. "Thank you. Thank you very much. I take much pride in my work."

"As you should!"

Thinking that's the end of the conversation, Dahyun smiles once again before going back to sweeping the floor. Joohyun interrupts her, shocking her.

"Um, I was actually wondering...if you would like to um...maybe meet up? I have an interview after this, but, after that would you...like to come and have lunch?"

Dahyun eyes her and cannot believe that this model, that _Bae Joohyun,_ is actually asking _her_ out to lunch.

Before her brain could think of a better response, Dahyun blurts out the question, "Why?"

Joohyun chuckles, and that small noise makes Dahyun's heart beat just a little bit faster. "Because I'd like to get to know you more."

Dahyun bites her bottom lip. She still cannot believe it. She thought she had Joohyun all figured out.

But then she remembers, she doesn't know her at all. She doesn't know _Bae Joohyun_ at all.

And at the same time, Joohyun doesn't know _Kim Dahyun_ at all.

So, with a final nod, Dahyun says, "I'd like to get to know you more too."

And another smile promises a lunch date.

A lunch date that makes both Dahyun and Joohyun thankful that they get to know the other person behind the camera.


	2. Altar

Two dates. Should Dahyun even call them dates? She's not sure if she should.

No, they're not. They're just friendly meet-ups and Joohyun is absolutely not flirting with her whenever she bats her eyelashes from across the table and Dahyun's heart absolutely does _not_ beat out of her chest whenever their hands brush.

It's been a month and a half since the first one, with busy schedules for the both of them meaning they couldn't see each other as often.

 _'Friendly meet-ups. Let's go with that,'_ she thinks to herself, as she prepares herself for the third confusing occasion where the two women sit across from one another and smile, laugh, talk and flirt. "Does flirting actually happen?" she mutters to herself as she checks her appearance in the mirror several times, a teal blouse and black jeans. Then Joohyun's smirk flashes in front of her eyes and Dahyun is _seriously_ puzzled.

"Not flirting. Not flirting," Dahyun shakes her head. She grabs her coat and puts it on; it's quite breezy outside.

Leaving her bedroom, she finds Chaeyoung lying across the sofa watching TV. They've been living together in their small one-bedroom apartment for six months, after getting enough money together to rent it. The two of them are thankful they can share the space.

"Right, I'm out. I'll be back a little bit later," Dahyun says, walking over to the coat rack to pick up her bag. She puts it over her shoulder before slipping on her shoes.

"Have fun on your date with Joohyun," Chaeyoung waves at her, not peeling her eyes away from the TV. 

"It's not a date," Dahyun retorts, shifting her weight onto one leg.

"Okay, sure," Chaeyoung responds, her voice clearly showing her sarcasm. Dahyun rolls her eyes then looks down at her phone to see a message.

_Joohyun_

_I'm outside waiting ☺️_

On the first date _(friendly meet-up),_ Joohyun drove Dahyun back to her apartment. On the second "date", they exchanged phone numbers. It seemed so easy, until that very night when Dahyun had a complex over the fact that she _actually_ had Bae Joohyun's number and that they had messaged each other all evening. Chaeyoung couldn't go to sleep with Dahyun talking her ear off about it.

"Okay, she's outside. I'll see you later," Dahyun says, slipping the phone into her coat pocket.

This time, Chaeyoung turns to face the older, "Have a good time with your girlfriend!"

Dahyun briefly stops at the door and sighs loudly so that Chaeyoung can hear, to which the younger chuckles and turns back to the TV. Opening the door, Dahyun bids Chaeyoung goodbye before leaving the apartment and heading for the exit to the apartment block.

Meeting up with Joohyun means looking for her manager's car. Once she steps outside, she searches for it before her eyes fall on a navy blue car a few metres down. A smile appears on her face as she approaches it and reaches for the door handle to the backseat, opening it. Joohyun turns and meets her eyes, her face lighting up as Dahyun gets into the car. "Hi," the model says, shyly.

"Hey," Dahyun beams. She puts on her seatbelt as Joohyun's manager starts driving. "Where we heading off to?"

"I thought I'd take you to my favourite place. I won't say much - element of surprise - but it's a quaint little place."

Dahyun pouts a little and nods, and a chuckle escapes Joohyun's lips. When she looks back at Dahyun, she sees a smile spread across her face and Joohyun feels her cheeks heating up. Her hand rests on the middle seat and Dahyun's eyes flicker to it, wondering if she should take the leap and hold it.

_'Nope. Don't do it. This is not a date.'_

Dahyun keeps her hands firmly clasped together and sat on her lap and Joohyun drums her fingers on the middle seat, her eyes firmly locked on Dahyun. When the younger meets her gaze, they smile at one another before Joohyun turns to glance out of the window. Dahyun sees the hand there before witnessing something truly unexpected: Joohyun turning her palm upwards.

_'Is she? Am I just being stupid? Is this an invitation? Is she waiting for me to ask? Damn it why am I so fucking awkward?'_

"Um...this is gonna sound like a stupid question but...can I hold you hand?" Dahyun almost fumbles over the words and she can hear the manager giggle to herself as she turns a corner. Dahyun wants the ground to swallow her up.

Joohyun chuckles and looks back at her, "I thought you'd never ask." She lifts the hand that was resting on the middle seat to Dahyun and Dahyun takes it, their fingers interlocking like it's the most natural thing. Joohyun runs her thumb along Dahyun's comfortingly and Dahyun looks up at the grin playing on the model's lips. If she was blushing before, she looks like a tomato now.

"You're adorable," Joohyun suddenly says, and Dahyun feels as though she's about to go insane. _'She didn't just… She absolutely didn't just…'_

"So are you," Dahyun replies, her mouth three seconds ahead of her brain. As soon as she says it, her eyes widen and she stares out of the window in panic, wanting to avoid Joohyun's eyes as much as possible after _that_ useless and frankly embarrassing attempt at flirting.

She hears Joohyun giggle, not letting go of her hand. The model's cheeks go a faint pink as she bites her bottom lip. The manager shakes her head lightly and smiles to herself at how coy the two of them are being as she comes to a stop outside a café.

"Oh, we're here," Joohyun says, letting go of Dahyun's hand to get out of the car. Dahyun follows suit and they both wave goodbye to the model's manager. Dahyun looks at the front of the building and hums, smiling faintly. Joohyun takes her hand again and guides her into the building, surprising Dahyun at the contact.

Once they're inside the building, Joohyun turns to Dahyun. "What do you want?" she asks in a soft voice.

"Hmm," Dahyun taps her chin, finding the menu hanging up on the wall behind the counter. "Not sure. How good is their hot chocolate?"

"Impeccable."

"Excellent. I'll have a hot chocolate please."

Joohyun nods once then directs Dahyun to a table at the far corner by the window, who promptly goes over to it, sitting down on one of the burgundy-coloured leather seats. Across from her is an identical chair, and between the two chairs is a small oak coffee table in the shape of a rectangle.

Dahyun understands why Joohyun picked this spot in the café. Quite isolated from the rest of the place. Not that it's busy, but Dahyun guesses that Joohyun wants to keep a low profile as much as possible, and Dahyun respects that.

She takes her time admiring the café. There are plants everywhere, and a few shelves with books on them (Dahyun assumes they're decorative). Pictures adorn every wall, some landscape paintings of green fields and rivers, some abstract art filled with oranges, blues, reds and yellows and a couple of photos of the surrounding area and the café itself from years ago. The windows are huge, and there's an outdoor seating area with four small picnic tables, a green and white striped parasol giving each one shade.

There are only a few other people in the coffee shop. One person working hard at their laptop. A couple sat across from one another. Two friends laughing with each other. Dahyun wonders how many people come in and out of this coffee shop every day. She reminds herself to write down the name of the café when she leaves.

After a short while, Joohyun arrives at the table and places the small tray down on it. She picks up the hot chocolate and puts it in front of Dahyun carefully, and takes her own americano before putting the tray to the side.

Dahyun looks at her hot chocolate and sees that it's been topped with whipped cream and dusted with chocolate sprinkles. She grins and thanks Joohyun for the drink.

"You're welcome," Joohyun replies with a smile. They begin drinking their beverages in comfortable silence, either woman not knowing how to break the ice, like they haven't spoken many times before. When they're face to face, everything changes.

As much as Dahyun wishes her mind would put it aside, it always reminds her that Joohyun is a model.

She _wishes_ she could push that to the back of her brain.

"I've never taken anyone else here before," Joohyun eventually says, and Dahyun gazes at her. "You're the first person I've brought here."

The words weigh on Dahyun a little. _'This must be a pretty special place for Joohyun. I mean, of course it is, she said it's her favourite place. And I'm the first person…'_

"Why did you bring _me_ here?" Damn the mind for the sometimes less than amazing questions it can make someone ask.

Joohyun scoffs a little, "Because..." For some reason, she stops herself.

Each time Joohyun had told her friends that she would be meeting with Dahyun again, she received such mixed reactions.

 _Do what's best for you, just be careful,_ would be the words of her closest friend, Seulgi.

 _I know you like her, I'm just looking out for you. Think about whether this is what you truly want,_ Seungwan would say.

 _Fuck everyone else, date her!_ would be the inspiring words of Sooyoung.

 _You're the only one who can make these decisions,_ Yeri would tell her.

Joohyun often found herself at a crossroads. She _does_ like Dahyun, a lot. Every time she meets Dahyun's eyes, she sees someone she wants to be with.

And then her career breaks down the door and makes it seem impossible.

_You can't be with her. She's a photographer. She took pictures of you once! What makes her stand out?_

_There's something about her,_ she said before.

 _I think I'm in love with her,_ she wishes she could say now.

Through every conversation they have, Joohyun gets to know a little bit about Dahyun at a time. She gets little snippets here and there, a small look into what Dahyun's like, and it's safe to say that Joohyun has developed feelings for her.

But then Joohyun also worries about what Dahyun thinks.

Would Dahyun ever want to be with her? Would her career get in the way? Their busy schedules? Would Dahyun ever be interested because she's a model? Does Dahyun even care?

All questions that Joohyun thought she couldn't ask before. They had only been on two dates. Only known one another a month and a half. Are these conversations she _should_ be having now? Joohyun clicks her tongue and stares out of the window.

"Because...what?" Dahyun asks. The time between the two of them speaking is only a few seconds, even though it feels like a few hours.

_'Confess now. Go for the safe option. Confess now. Go for the safe option.'_

"I...wanted to introduce you to this place. I thought you might like it," Joohyun finally responds, looking back at the younger. She then picks up her americano and drinks a little more, not wanting to think about how her answer didn't sound convincing at _all,_ despite there being truth to it. It wasn't the real answer. It wasn't the answer Joohyun should've given.

Dahyun doesn't quite know how she should feel in response. "Well, I like this place. As you said, it's very quaint. I like it. Thank you for bringing me here."

Joohyun nods at her and smiles a little, taking a deep breath in.

For the first time since they met, they don't talk much during their "date".

Some time later, they finish their drinks and sit silently once again. Simultaneously, they can feel the air growing colder and more awkward around them, and they both find that they don't like that at _all._

"Come on, I've got an idea," Dahyun says, putting her coat on and grabbing her bag. Joohyun does the same and waits for Dahyun to lead the way before she follows suit.

"Where are we going?" Joohyun asks, curiously. Dahyun then puts a finger to her own lips briefly before winking, which makes Joohyun feel a little flustered as they exit the coffee shop.

Halting just outside the door, Dahyun says, "I need to go back to my parents' house quickly."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, just to get something. And then back to my apartment quickly and then we can go."

"Okay, well, do you want me to message my manager?" Dahyun nods and Joohyun does just that.

A little while later, the same navy blue car shows up and the two of them get in.

"Um, we're heading to Dahyun's parents', if that's okay," Joohyun tells her manager, who hums and asks for the address, which Dahyun gives. The manager starts driving and instinctively, Joohyun reaches for Dahyun's hand, which she takes. Some time later, they end up at Dahyun's parents' house and she asks Joohyun to wait in the car while she goes inside. Nodding, Joohyun smiles at Dahyun as she gets out of the car and approaches the front door to the house.

Dahyun rings the bell and a few seconds later, her Mum appears. "Dahyun! Hello, how are you?"

"Hey, Mum," Dahyun smiles. "Can I come in quickly?"

"Yes, of course. Are you not staying?" Dahyun walks in and her Mum shuts the door.

"No, unfortunately, in a bit of a rush," Dahyun says as she slips off her shoes and runs up the stairs. Clicking her fingers, she runs into her parents' bedroom and spies just what she's looking for: keys. Smiling, she grabs them and runs back downstairs to kiss her Mum on the cheek, "Bye, Mum!"

"Oh, um, bye!" she says, as Dahyun puts her shoes back on and opens the door, waving. Her Mum shakes her head and shuts the door behind her.

Dahyun jogs back to the car and gets in, "Okay, my apartment next." She gives the address and the manager begins driving away. Joohyun notices the keys in Dahyun's hands and wonders what they're for. Dahyun winks at Joohyun once again, and the model has to _stop_ feeling so shy.

_'I wonder where we're going.'_

Inside the house, Dahyun's Mum goes upstairs; while passing her and her husband's room, she notices the missing keys straight away. Tutting, she rolls her eyes and mumbles, "She better bring them back."

Meanwhile, Dahyun looks down at the keys. _'I will return them. Promise.'_

When they reach the apartment, Dahyun once again tells Joohyun to wait for her while she gets out of the car and heads into the apartment block. She sprints up the stairs as fast as she can while trying not to trip over and reaches her own door in no time. Opening it, she steps in, "Chae!"

Chaeyoung emerges from their bedroom and says, "Oh, hi. Wasn't expecting you back yet."

"I've not come back, I'm just here to grab something then I'm gone again." She thinks about asking Chaeyoung to get what she needs, but figures it's best to try and prevent the teasing as much as possible. She takes off her shoes and walks into her bedroom, then moves over to her bed before crouching down and pulling out a box from underneath it. Taking off the lid, she grabs her camera case before replacing the lid and pushing it back under the bed. She leaves the bedroom and heads for the door again, putting her shoes back on and waving goodbye to Chaeyoung again, not letting Chaeyoung say a single word before she's gone.

Soon after, she's back in the car, camera in hand, and Joohyun notices it straight away, "You've got your camera."

Dahyun glances up at her through her eyelashes, "Well, I had this idea that we could do a mini photoshoot? And uh…" She holds up the keys. "I have the perfect backdrop for it."

Joohyun mirrors her facial expression, "Say no more. I'd love to."

They stare at one another for a few moments before Dahyun leans close to the manager and whispers something to her so that Joohyun can't hear, before sitting back in her seat. They start to drive away and hold one another's hand once again.

The journey is quiet, but not without their eyes meeting every few seconds. Dahyun's heart beats incredibly fast as they get closer and closer to their destination.

When they pull up alongside it and Joohyun looks out of the window, she sees a tall, beautiful, rather old-looking church.

"Ah, I see," Joohyun says, turning to face Dahyun, who nods as they both get out of the car. The manager drives away as Dahyun leads Joohyun around the outside of the church and towards the back entrance.

"How do you have the keys to this place?" Joohyun asks, watching Dahyun turn the keys in all three locks.

"My family comes here all the time. My Dad essentially owns this church now, so he keeps the keys. I sometimes like to come down here by myself and take pictures. It's such a beautiful place."

"I can tell just from looking at the outside," Joohyun compliments, and Dahyun smiles warmly at her words. She opens the door and allows Joohyun to step in first, before entering and shutting it behind her.

They're greeted by a long corridor, with small conference-type rooms on either side. Dahyun switches on the lights and they begin walking down the corridor.

"Wow… I've never been here before," Joohyun says, gazing around.

"I love this place. Any time I need a bit of peace, I come here. My parents have said I should have my own keys," Dahyun chuckles. Joohyun smiles as they walk alongside one another.

At the very end of the hallway, are a set of double doors leading into the church. Dahyun hurries towards the doors and opens them, and Joohyun follows her.

When they're in the church, Joohyun jaw drops.

Her eyes find the stain glass windows first, the vibrant colours mixing with the sunlight to radiate a brilliant hue. She doesn't think she's ever seen such a sight before, at least, not in person. Then, looking down, Joohyun counts ten rows of chairs with a long aisle down the centre, and eight chairs to every row on each side. The chairs themselves are cushioned and grey with wooden frames, and feel quite soft to the touch. Joohyun lets her fingers graze over the material as she walks along the front row. Looking to her right, she notices the altar, stretching across the width of the church. The carpet is a deep burgundy shade, and there are a few steps leading up to the place where people would kneel and pray. Above the altar, on the far wall, is the cross. To the right, there is a huge piano, and Joohyun can only imagine the sounds when playing it. To the left, there is a space with identical grey cushioned seats.

"That's for the choir," Dahyun chimes in. Joohyun turns around and sees, at the opposite end, a tall stained glass window, filled with all of the colours she could possibly imagine. Joohyun tilts her head to the side and blinks, mesmerised by everything.

Suddenly, Dahyun appears at her side, "Shall we?"

Joohyun looks at the photographer and nods, resting her bag on one of the chairs and removing her coat. Dahyun does the same before taking out her camera and putting it around her neck.

"Where should we start?" Dahyun wonders. Joohyun considers her options, feeling strangely out of her element. She's never had her picture taken in a church, but looking at Dahyun, Joohyun knows instantly that she wouldn't want to have her picture taken in one by anyone else.

"Hmm, maybe...lying across several seats?" Joohyun offers.

"Bold. Powerful. I love it."

Joohyun chuckles before moving her bag and coat and sitting on one of the seats in the front row. She then thinks, "Will it be okay for me to put my feet up on these seats?"

"Oh yeah, it'll be fine," Dahyun smiles. Joohyun nods and turns to the right, putting her feet on the chair in front of her. Making sure she's in a good position, she lies down and rests her head on the chair behind her, turning it to the left. Dahyun watches her put the back of her right hand on her forehead and the other palm on her left thigh. Taking the lens cap off her camera and turning it on, Dahyun kneels down and lifts the camera, looking into the viewfinder. She begins taking pictures, Joohyun changing her position slightly every few seconds.

"Good, nice," Dahyun mutters, as Joohyun turns to lay on her left side, resting her elbow on the far left seat and propping her head up on her hand, sometimes her knuckles, sometimes her palm. She lies across all three seats effortlessly as Dahyun continues taking photos.

Outside, the sun begins to set and once Joohyun notices, she says, "I wanna take some pictures by the windows."

Dahyun smirks behind the camera, "I thought you might say that." She stands up straight. Joohyun stands as well and follows Dahyun towards one of the windows, thinking about what she should do.

"Um, I think the best thing to do is sit on the window sill," Dahyun points to a small ledge below the window and Joohyun moves to take a seat on it. She places her hands on each wall either side of her and faces the left, showing her side profile to the camera. Dahyun can't help but admire how regal she looks as the sun glows through the stained glass window, making the perfect background.

Every time Dahyun takes a picture, she stops to gaze at it, allowing Joohyun to change her pose every so often. Tiny details, like the placement of her arms, her hands, her legs and the direction in which she's looking, constantly change up the feeling of the photo. Dahyun then moves closer and stands to the side, taking a picture of Joohyun's face as the colours of the stained glass window shine onto her.

Joohyun rests her back against the wall and closes her eyes, feeling the warmth of the sun on her body and Dahyun's presence just centimetres away from her. When she opens her eyes again, she sees Dahyun sitting beside her, gazing at her with such wonderful eyes to the point Joohyun can feel her heart pounding in her chest.

"I wanna take some pictures of you in the garden," Dahyun says softly.

"Sounds great," Joohyun smiles, before they wander out of the church and towards the garden.

It's quite small, with different kinds of flowers growing, specifically roses, daisies, tulips and daffodils. Dahyun finds a rose and picks it, before turning to Joohyun and holding it out to her.

"For me?" the model teases a little.

"For you," Dahyun says sincerely.

Joohyun feels her cheeks burning as she takes the rose. She smells the scent and Dahyun takes an opportunity to photograph her again. That's when Joohyun begins posing with the rose, holding it in the air, gripping a petal between two fingers like she's about to pluck one and covering one eye and looking off to the side, a pose that Dahyun thinks might be one of her favourites.

Especially when she winks and smiles so widely, Dahyun's heart might burst at how adorable she's being.

_'No wonder I have feelings for you, Miss Bae.'_

Joohyun chuckles and lets her arm fall, before spying a bench and running over to it to take a seat. She props one foot up on the bench and rests her elbow on her knee, and Dahyun takes a few more photos. It was definitely the best decision: the sun makes Joohyun glow even _more,_ if that were even possible.

Out of nowhere, Joohyun then says, "Let me take some pictures of you!"

Dahyun nearly lets go of the camera at those words, but luckily holds onto it.

"Um, I stay _behind_ the camera, I do not belong in front of it."

"Nonsense," Joohyun stands up and closes the distance between the two of them. Dahyun goes red again. "You're absolutely beautiful. You belong in front of the camera as well as behind it."

Dahyun swallows the lump forming in her throat and exhales. Joohyun's eyes sparkle and the photographer thinks, _'I suppose it wouldn't hurt.'_ Taking off her camera, she carefully places it around Joohyun's neck, who puts the rose down on the bench and prepares herself.

Dahyun turns to the tiny field of flowers and reaches for the tallest daffodil. Picking it, she spins around to see Joohyun holding the camera up already.

"Wait! What do you do?" Dahyun asks, extremely nervous.

"Just be natural!"

"Natural?" Dahyun scratches her head and holds the daffodil up in a similar way that Joohyun did: covering one eye. Joohyun chuckles and takes the picture. When Dahyun hears the shutter noise, she has to stop for a few seconds because _what_ is she doing?

"That was a really nice photo!" Joohyun's head pops up from behind the camera and she sees Dahyun's expression, "You okay?"

A short pause. "What am I doing?" Dahyun laughs.

"You're being the model! And a really good one at that."

"Hardly," Dahyun lifts an eyebrow, sceptical, and Joohyun shakes her head.

"Come and take a look at this picture." Dahyun moves to stand beside Joohyun and stares at the photo. She never thought she would see herself in front of the camera. It feels strange. "A couple more?"

Dahyun glances up at her before standing back and holding the daffodil in both hands. She has _no_ idea if what she's doing is good, but judging by Joohyun's reaction it can't be _too_ bad.

"You look great!" Joohyun encourages.

Dahyun chuckles and lifts the daffodil so it's level with her eyes. She looks at it and Joohyun takes a few more photos before Dahyun says, "Okay, that's enough for me."

Joohyun gently lets go of the camera and puts her hands on her hips. "You look amazing."

Dramatically, Dahyun bows before standing up straight to see Joohyun laugh. The model then places the camera around the photographer's neck again before picking up the rose, not wanting to leave it behind.

"Anywhere else you want to take this photoshoot?"

Dahyun thinks for a second, then clicks her fingers, "The altar."

"Of course."

Going back inside, Joohyun puts the rose with her coat and bag, as does Dahyun with her daffodil, before they climb the few steps up to the altar. Joohyun takes a seat on the top step and Dahyun backtracks a little to get the best angle. Placing her hands either side of her, Joohyun leans her head back and extends her legs, closing her eyes. Dahyun moves closer to take as many photos as possible, and Joohyun opens her eyes to turn to the camera.

That's when she decides to lie down and put her hands above her head. Dahyun bites her bottom lip and takes a few steps closer until she is standing above Joohyun, the camera pointing downwards. Unexpectedly, Joohyun grabs her hair tie and pulls out her ponytail, throwing it to the side and letting her hair spread out across the floor.

Once again, Dahyun has to stop herself from dropping the goddamn camera.

Staring intensely into the camera, Joohyun brings one hand to her lips and lets her finger glide over them.

"I like you a lot, Dahyun," she blurts out.

Another photo.

"You do?" Dahyun wonders, her stomach tied up in knots.

"Mhm."

"I...I like you a lot too."

Another photo.

Joohyun smiles. "Really?"

Dahyun nods. Swallows thickly. Another photo.

"Well...what are we gonna do about it?"

Dahyun glances over the top of the camera and sees Joohyun lying there. Bae Joohyun. Someone Dahyun only knew as a model over a month ago, and now is someone Dahyun has fallen in love with. Butterflies soar in her stomach as Joohyun reaches up to caress her cheek with her thumb. Slowly, Dahyun removes her camera and puts it to the side before sitting down on the top step. Joohyun pushes herself up and their lips come dangerously close. Dahyun wraps her hand around the back of Joohyun's neck and Joohyun pulls her closer until their noses are touching. Tilting her head to the side, Dahyun's lips ghost over Joohyun's before Joohyun captures her lips in a kiss.

It's a kiss that takes both women by surprise, the both of them being gentle, gradual, not wanting to pick up speed. Careful. Like they had all the time in the world. Dahyun's hand finds Joohyun's thigh and Joohyun cups Dahyun's cheeks with both hands, their lips making promises that they already knew they could keep.

_I promise you're not just a model to me._

_I promise I won't let my career get in the way of anything._

_I promise our busy schedules won't fuck up what we have._

_I promise that as long as we talk things through, it will be okay._

They pull away and look one another in the eyes.

"Can I be honest? I never thought I would say the words _I'm kinda in love with you, Bae Joohyun,_ but uh, here I am. I'm kinda in love with you, Bae Joohyun," Dahyun confesses.

"Can _I_ be honest?" Dahyun nods. "I'm kinda in love with you too. Be mine?"

"Already yours," Dahyun grins and their lips meet once more, Joohyun smiling into the kiss as it grows deeper.

On the top step of the altar sits two women, a camera, and a new love that's just beginning.


	3. Symbol

_“Tell me, Miss Kim, what made you want to be a photographer? Surely you didn’t just spot a flower one day, take a picture of it and then decided, ‘hm, I wanna be a photographer.’”_

The way Joohyun asks the question almost makes Dahyun double over in laughter. Not just that, but she finds Joohyun’s curiosity towards Dahyun’s ambition to become a photographer quite amusing since she had already explained her reason: taking a picture of a flower was really all there was to it.

“I’m not lying to you! That _was_ genuinely the only thing. I remember owning that camera, it was the first camera I ever took pictures on to start a portfolio, and when I took that picture of a daffodil, I tell you it changed my life.”

On the other end, Joohyun chuckles. It’s another late night phone chat and Dahyun has to sit in the living room to talk because she still shares a room with Chaeyoung. Their laughter dies down slightly and Joohyun sighs, _“Isn’t it crazy how we’ve already known each other four months?”_

Dahyun tilts her head to the side, “Very crazy, actually. It’s even crazier that _you_ were the one who approached _me._ I’ll never get over that.”

“I keep telling you. Something about you captivated me that day.” 

Cheeks blushing at the word _captivated,_ Dahyun tugs at the inside of her bottom lip. “What captivated you, Miss Bae?” She’s less shy about flirting now.

_“Your eye for detail. All of the photographers I know just want to snap as many pictures as possible and be done with it. You...you see through the camera. It’s like you want to get to know the person or thing you’re photographing, and that’s something I’ve never seen. You’re also incredibly professional, and take your job seriously, and have a lot of pride in it.”_

Dahyun hums, letting out a small laugh as a lopsided grin appears on her face. “You’ve never seen a photographer take their job seriously?”

_“Not in the way you do.”_ She takes a moment to ponder this, and Dahyun just wonders if Joohyun is being biased simply because they’re dating now. _“And no I’m not biased.”_

A look of shock sweeps across Dahyun’s face. “That was weird. You literally just answered my thoughts.”

_“I did? Perhaps I’m pretty good at telepathy.”_

Smirking, Dahyun decides to tease a little, “Oh really? What am I thinking right now?”

Joohyun hums. _“I’m dating the most fabulous woman in the world, oh my God, I love her?”_

Dahyun laughs, but realises that, yeah, Joohyun could _definitely_ read her mind.

“I _am_ dating the most fabulous woman in the world. And, oh my God, I love her!”

Things go quiet on the other end as Joohyun becomes shy. Dahyun can tell and it makes her smile; shy Joohyun is the most adorable thing in the world.

“That means I love you, by the way,” Dahyun grins.

_“I love you too,”_ Joohyun replies.

The call lasts for a little while longer after that.

\--

Their relationship is something they want to keep private, for the time being. They aren’t quite ready to announce to the thousands of people that they’re together. For now, they’re content in keeping it to themselves.

That didn’t stop the media picking up on every moment they spent together.

_Model Bae Joohyun spotted with an unknown woman going out to lunch._

_Unknown woman confirmed to be Joohyun’s photographer, Kim Dahyun._

_Bae Joohyun and Kim Dahyun seen going to a coffee shop._

_Model Bae Joohyun spotted meeting up with photographer Kim Dahyun._

No matter where they are, there will always be someone to pick up on it.

It inspired so much talk that Chaeyoung joked one day that they _should just announce it,_ while still understanding why the two of them didn’t want to for the time being.

At the agency, Dahyun doesn’t hear the end of it.

One morning, she walks into the agency a little earlier than she typically does. Clocking in, she says _good morning_ to a team of mostly silent employees who simply look at her, some of them unable to suppress their laughter. She arrives at her desk and sits, knowing that she has a bunch of emails to reply to and a new project that’s about to land on her desk.

“Good morning, Dahyun!” she hears a woman’s voice singing.

Recognising that voice a mile away, she keeps her eyes fixated on her computer screen and replies, “Morning, Nayeon.” Nayeon, the very bubbly secretary.

Just as she expected, a green folder appears to her right and Dahyun takes a brief second to glance down at it before looking back up at the computer screen.

“How are we this morning?” Nayeon asks cheerily, resting her hand on the back of Dahyun’s chair.

“Good. You?”

“Not too bad, not too bad. Oh, by the way, you’re working on this project with Chae.” Nayeon taps the folder on the desk a couple of times before folding her arms. Dahyun draws her brows together and spins in her chair to see Chaeyoung bounding up to her desk with an excited smile on her face. Dahyun picks up the folder and sees the tab at the top: _YOO JEONGYEON, 2020._

“Yoo Jeongyeon?” Dahyun wonders.

“Yep, the actress, Yoo Jeongyeon. She’s taking part in a new drama and they need promotional photos for it.”

Chaeyoung sways back and forth as Dahyun opens her folder. “I guess since I photographed _one_ person, I’m now expected to take pictures of more people.”

Nayeon raises an eyebrow, “Well, we’ve always said, you need to expand your range, try multiple types of photography. And your photoshoot with Joohyun went well by all accounts.”

Dahyun freezes in her chair. She wasn’t expecting _that_ comment. Chaeyoung also stands still behind Nayeon, and stares at Dahyun.

“I saw the photos, they looked great,” Nayeon finishes her thought, and Dahyun has to stop the sigh of relief sounding so obviously like a sigh of relief at the fact that Nayeon hasn’t mentioned anything about her and Joohyun.

“We don’t do collab projects very often. What’s different about this one?” Dahyun asks.

“Oh, well, they’re running on a very tight schedule and there’s multiple cast members so we figured it’d be easier and quicker to send two of you,” Nayeon quickly explains. “They’re doing it tomorrow and the address is on the first page. Both of you, be there at 9am, on the dot.” Taking her leave, Nayeon struts back to her office as Chaeyoung takes a step closer.

“Whew, bet you’re thankful Nay didn’t say anything about you and Joohyun.”

“Very thankful, although there’s no doubt she knows about it,” Dahyun mumbles, unsure whether she’s happy with that or not.

“Oh, no doubt whatsoever,” Chaeyoung replies, and Dahyun glares at her, her not-so-amused expression making Chaeyoung mouth _sorry_ in response as others turn heads. She takes this opportunity to change the subject, “So...promo pics for a new drama tomorrow! With _the_ Yoo Jeongyeon!” Chaeyoung covers her face with her folder to hide the redness appearing and Dahyun immediately peels it away again. She raises both eyebrows and Chaeyoung hides her lips in embarrassment, letting her arms fall to the sides.

Standing up, Dahyun sighs, “Pray tell, is that the same Yoo Jeongyeon who starred in that drama you stayed up all night watching during finals?”

“Um, maybe…” Chaeyoung averts her gaze and Dahyun tries her hardest to find it again. Eventually, Chaeyoung rolls her eyes, “Okay, fine. Yes, she did star in that drama.”

Dahyun nods before passing Chaeyoung and walking up to the coffee machine. Chaeyoung spins around and follows her, “What’s that face for?”

“Nothing. You’re just gonna be meeting your favourite actress is all. Hey, didn’t she like that drawing you did of one of her photos a few months back?”

Chaeyoung nods, “Utterly crazy. I posted it, not expecting her to see it and then a bunch of people tagged her in the replies and she saw it and… It was insane. She said she really loved the picture and thanked me for drawing it.”

“Do you think she’ll recognise you?” Dahyun asks, grabbing a mug from the top of the machine and placing it under the dispenser. She presses the button marked _cappuccino._

“Probably not. She interacts with hundreds of people a _day._ No way will she remember me,” Chaeyoung laughs it off as a complete impossibility.

Dahyun shrugs, “Who knows? That picture was popular. People couldn’t stop talking about it for days.” Chaeyoung mirrors her action as Dahyun picks up her coffee to take it back to her desk. Sitting down, she looks up at Chaeyoung, “Guess we’ll be heading over there for 9am tomorrow, huh?”

“Yep! Tomorrow, 9am,” Chaeyoung nods once, before turning and going back to her desk.

Chuckling, Dahyun picks up her phone and notices a message from Joohyun.

_Joohyun_

_Wanna come to my place tonight? Watch a movie? Missing you ♥️_

Dahyun smiles before replying.

_I’d love to. Missing you too ♥️_

_Joohyun_

_Is 7pm okay?♥️_

_Perfect, I’ll see you then ♥️_

She receives a heart in response. Dahyun’s own heart does backflips as she keeps on thinking about the fact that Joohyun even messages her, let alone asking if she wants to see a movie, plus the hearts. Her head spins as she locks her phone and sets it down on her desk.

The area surrounding her is buzzing with gossip. Dahyun’s okay though.

\--

It’s the fourth time that Dahyun has set foot in Joohyun’s apartment, and every time she does, she’s completely mesmerised. Her eyes always seem to find something new that she’s never seen before and whenever she spots it, Joohyun is always there to tell her everything about it.

Tonight, it’s a tall red vase filled with water. Inside, a single rose. Joohyun doesn’t need to tell Dahyun anything about it, as the blue-haired woman turns and gazes at her knowingly, remembering the rose to be the same as the one Dahyun picked for her at the church.

Joohyun recalls it as the most magical experience of her life. She always says that they should return to the church and do another photoshoot. Dahyun promises that they will one day.

“So,” Joohyun begins, making herself comfortable on the sofa, “what do you wanna watch?”

“Not sure,” Dahyun responds a little awkwardly. She looks around the apartment like she hasn’t been there before and Joohyun notices. The model’s gaze softens as she tilts her head to the side.

“Come, sit,” Joohyun says, patting the space beside her. Dahyun looks at her before nodding and sitting down next to her. Joohyun giggles and Dahyun blinks.

“What is it?”

Joohyun shakes her head, “It’s nothing.”

Dahyun then lifts an eyebrow incredulously, “Yes, it still feels really strange that I’m in your apartment and every time I’m here I’m always taken aback.” Joohyun almost snorts and Dahyun nudges her thigh before feeling an arm being wrapped around her. Almost instantly, Dahyun relaxes into her touch. She rests a head on Joohyun’s shoulder, then says, “And it’s still crazy that you’re my girlfriend. That I have _this_ picture of the two of us on my phone.” Dahyun pulls out her phone and shows her lock screen to Joohyun: a picture of the two of them sharing ice cream in Joohyun’s apartment. “It’s absolutely crazy.”

Joohyun smiles seeing the picture. That was the second time Dahyun came to her apartment. She prods Dahyun’s cheek with her nose, who turns to face her. When they’re _this_ close, Dahyun feels her face heating up, and when Joohyun presses their lips together, it takes Dahyun a few seconds to react before bringing a hand up to her neck. When they pull away, Dahyun sighs, “It always catches me so off guard when you do that.”

Joohyun smirks proudly as Dahyun shakes her head, smiling. This time, she captures Joohyun’s lips, the model responding in no time at all and moving the arm that was wrapped around Dahyun’s shoulder down her back before her hand finds the back of the sofa.

They kiss for a few seconds before parting ways. Another little peck. They stare at one another intensely for a few seconds before Dahyun repeats Joohyun’s question from earlier, “So...what do you want to watch?”

Joohyun bites the inside of her bottom lip, her eyes travelling the room before they land back on Dahyun’s face. She studies the blue-haired woman’s features then says, “I’ll let you decide,” before sitting back and crossing one leg over the other.

They smirk at one another playfully before Dahyun picks up the remote and switches the TV on. She cuddles up to Joohyun who pulls her closer as she brings up _Netflix_ and browses. Joohyun watches Dahyun all the while. Dahyun can pick whatever movie she wants. Joohyun’s eyes will always divert their attention to the adorable woman snuggled beside her.

\--

The following morning, Dahyun wakes up at 7:38am. She’s still unsure as to why she invested money in an alarm clock if it wasn’t ever going to wake her up at the right time, but nevertheless, she’s glad her body at least realised she needed to wake up around this time or otherwise, she’d be screwed.

Slowly, she sits up and rubs her forehead, almost as if she’s trying to kick her brain into gear in a polite, respectful manner, unlike her best friend Chaeyoung who would resort to hitting it against her desk.

During their final year at uni, Chaeyoung did that. _Multiple_ times. At 3am.

Dahyun’s thankful she stopped Chaeyoung from doing that before her brain fell out.

Getting out of bed, she ambles out of the room and into the lounge-meets-kitchen. Living in a studio apartment meant the two weren’t in separate rooms, making it more compact.

_It also means you can make food and immediately eat it on the sofa that is just three metres away,_ Chaeyoung once said.

Dahyun shakes her head to try and wake herself up and sees Chaeyoung opening the fridge to get some milk out. Turning, Chaeyoung spots Dahyun standing in the doorway, “Ah, morning sleepyhead. I was actually gonna come and wake you up.”

“When did you wake up?” Dahyun asks tiredly.

“Around 7am.”

_‘Great,’_ Dahyun thinks. Chaeyoung notices her look of disapproval. “You could have and really should have woken me up then, to be honest.”

“Sorry Dub,” Chaeyoung pulls an awkward face, pouring the milk into her bowl of cereal before setting it down. “Want some cereal? I’ll leave the milk out for you.”

“Thanks, yeah.” Dahyun saunters towards the kitchen and gets out a bowl and some cereal. She makes herself some breakfast, putting the milk back in the fridge before taking the bowl and spoon and sitting beside Chaeyoung on the sofa. “How long does it take to get there?”

“About...twenty minutes,” Chaeyoung sniffs, finishing her cereal and standing up to wash the dishes.

“Excellent,” Dahyun replies a few seconds after, still tired as ever. She eats her cereal in peace as Chaeyoung gets ready. Soon after, Dahyun follows, and by around 8:30 the two of them are ready to leave.

“Let’s go!” Chaeyoung says, opening the door.

“Let’s go,” Dahyun says, a little less enthused, knowing it’s just fatigue talking. And lack of coffee. Dahyun _needs_ coffee.

\--

The two women arrive on set about ten minutes early and are greeted by the production team, who introduce themselves. They direct the pair towards the first location they’ll be using to take the promotional pictures so that they can set up. When Dahyun and Chaeyoung reach the set, they take a couple of minutes to look around. Chaeyoung has more experience with this than Dahyun does, but Dahyun still knows her stuff.

A few minutes later, the cast step out of their trailers one by one. The two women notice many people that they recognise, until the star of the show, Yoo Jeongyeon steps out last.

“Oh my God, she looks so beautiful,” Chaeyoung whispers to Dahyun who nods in response.

The cast mill about in front of the trailers talking to one another, and Chaeyoung can’t help but look over every few seconds as Jeongyeon stands with her arms folded, talking and laughing with the others. At around 9am, the production team brings the cast over to the set and introduces them to the two photographers, who smile, bow and wave at the group.

When Jeongyeon’s eyes fall on Chaeyoung, she can’t help but think she knows Chaeyoung somehow, but can’t remember from where. They share eye contact for a mere second before Chaeyoung averts her gaze, blushing. Jeongyeon looks at the floor briefly.

“Okay everyone! We need a group shot of all of you, so if you could come and stand here, that would be great,” the director announces, gathering everyone together and indicating the space behind him. They all stand in said space in a long line, before Dahyun and Chaeyoung tell some of them to crouch on the floor in front so they can all be in the frame. Dahyun checks that everyone is in shot and Chaeyoung looks through the viewfinder. Her eyes find Jeongyeon immediately before she shakes her head and focuses on taking the picture, of which she takes about half a dozen before standing up straight.

“Those look really good!” she claps once, and the cast members on the floor stand up.

“Right, now to save time, we want different kinds of photos to be taken at the same time, so if I tell you what photos we need, and then you split up the jobs, how does that sound?” the director asks Dahyun and Chaeyoung. The two exchange looks before looking back at the director and nodding. “Awesome, okay.”

While the director instructs the cast members where to go, Dahyun moves to a separate set a few metres away from Chaeyoung and waits to be told what kind of photos they need.

They take some smaller group shots, a few trio pictures, some duo photos, and finally, the solo pictures.

Dahyun glances over at Chaeyoung, then at the person who’s standing in front of the camera before bringing her attention back to her own work.

Chaeyoung smiles bashfully as Jeongyeon stands just a few feet from her. All the while Jeongyeon gazes at her, still trying to figure out how she recognises Chaeyoung, because she knows for _sure_ she can.

Then, it clicks in her mind, and a brilliant smile appears on her face as she remembers.

When Chaeyoung picks up the camera to take a close up photo, Jeongyeon whispers, “You drew that picture of me.”

Peering over the top of the camera, her eyes wide, Chaeyoung stutters, “Um, y-yes...yes I did.”

_“That’s_ how I know you. I’ve been trying to work it out but I couldn’t quite place it.” Others begin to notice how Jeongyeon has stopped posing and how Chaeyoung has stopped taking pictures, so they quickly revert back to doing just that. “I knew I recognised you.”

Chaeyoung feels her cheeks burning. Not just from how close they are, but that, plus Jeongyeon’s words coupled with the smile playing on her lips. It makes the photographer’s heart bounce around uncontrollably.

They reach the end of the photoshoot, and Jeongyeon begins to walk away, but then turns back to Chaeyoung, “Um, I know this will seem like a strange question but, I was too nervous to ask you before. Your...drawing. It’s so beautiful and honestly, probably my favourite drawing ever. You’re really talented. I was wondering if I could perhaps…” She rubs the nape of her neck nervously. “Maybe, frame it?”

Chaeyoung is so glad she isn’t holding her camera at that moment, or she would have _absolutely_ dropped it.

“F-Frame it? Y-You want to...oh my God…” Chaeyoung fumbles and stammers and she almost hides her face as the redness builds up in her cheeks. Jeongyeon instantly feels apologetic and is about to say sorry, when Chaeyoung says, “I can’t believe you want to frame... _my_ drawing. I drew that the summer after I left uni.”

Jeongyeon smiles softly as she looks at Chaeyoung. “I’ve been thinking about it for a while, but I didn’t know how to ask you. I’m thankful I get to ask you now.”

“Wow, um...thank you!” Chaeyoung suddenly says, like she had forgotten to say that before. Jeongyeon chuckles in response and it warms Chaeyoung’s heart. “Honestly, thank you so much, I never would have expected this.” A beat passes. “That’s a yes, by the way! Yes, you can frame it.” She giggles, and Jeongyeon eyes the floor before she’s suddenly whisked away by the director. They wave at one another and Chaeyoung nearly falls over on the spot.

Dahyun appears to her left, “I’m guessing she _did_ recognise you?”

“She...She wants… She asked me if she could...frame my drawing…”

Dahyun smiles as Chaeyoung shakes her head a little, wondering if the last five minutes of her life were a dream or not. “How are you gonna deliver it to her?” Dahyun wonders.

“Um…hold that thought,” Chaeyoung replies before she walks away from Dahyun and towards where Jeongyeon is about to re-enter her trailer. She catches the actress’ attention, who turns and smiles upon seeing her. “Hey! Hey, um...I was wondering, are you going to be back here tomorrow?”

“Uh, yep! 9am once again!” Jeongyeon replies. “Why?”

“Well, I’ve got to know where to deliver the framed drawing to, and if you’re gonna be back here tomorrow, this is the best place to send it to, right?”

Jeongyeon lets out a chuckle, “I guess so. Thank you so much, I’m sorry I didn’t get a chance to say that earlier.”

“It’s cool,” Chaeyoung brushes it off. “Thank _you,_ seriously.”

The two women smile at one another before a voice calls for Jeongyeon. She rolls her eyes before bidding Chaeyoung goodbye and turning around to enter the trailer. Chaeyoung waves with a content smile on her face, before she spins around and returns to a smiling Dahyun who’s waiting for her.

“Shall we pack up here?” Dahyun questions. Chaeyoung nods, and the two of them get to work packing everything away, before thanking the production team and leaving the set.

In Dahyun’s car, Chaeyoung exhales loudly and says, “I cannot believe _any_ of that just happened.”

“Well, believe it. Because you’re now framing a drawing and sending it to Jeongyeon.”

Chaeyoung blinks a few times, still trying to process the information. Dahyun chuckles as she starts the engine and drives away to head back to their apartment.

\--

Jeongyeon arrives at her trailer the next day, just before 9am. Removing her bag and coat, she sits down on one of the sofas and waits for her hair and make-up stylist to arrive.

A few minutes later, there’s a knock at the door. Standing up, Jeongyeon walks over to the door and opens it, only to be greeted by a member of staff handing her a package.

“Oh! Thank you,” Jeongyeon says, taking the package and closing the door. Sitting down on the sofa, she takes off the silver bow and rips the red foil paper to reveal a picture. Jeongyeon smiles. Chaeyoung’s drawing. She takes off the wrapping completely and stares at it. Noticing it’s one of those frames that can stand up, she pulls the stand away from the back of the frame and rests it on the table in front of her. She beams at the drawing, and Chaeyoung’s face comes to her mind.

_‘Thank you,’_ she thinks, _‘thank you so much.’_

\--

“It’s such a shame I can’t draw, I would have painted thousands of pictures of you,” Dahyun says, her head resting on Joohyun’s lap as they lie on Dahyun’s bed. Chaeyoung decided that so she could leave the two of them alone, she would go and see their friend from university, Tzuyu.

“One, I bet you _can_ draw. Two, that’s a very cheesy thing to say.”

“Well, it’s true! You’re incredibly gorgeous, I would just paint pictures of you all day.”

Joohyun laughs as Dahyun turns her head to look up at the model. She thinks for a few seconds before suddenly lifting her head off Joohyun’s lap, which catches her attention. There’s a sense of urgency in Dahyun’s movements as she kneels on the floor beside her bed and starts searching under it. A look of concern appears on Joohyun’s face, “You okay?”

“Yep! Hold on…” Dahyun replies with some semblance of strain in her voice as she pulls out a keyboard from under her bed and lifts it, carrying it over to Chaeyoung’s bed before dropping it. Joohyun gets up and moves to stand next to Dahyun, who sits on the bed in front of the keyboard and turns it on.

“Wait...you play?” Joohyun asks, surprised that Dahyun had never mentioned it before.

“Yeah, kind of…” Dahyun replies, cracking her knuckles before quickly playing _Für Elise_ just to see if she can remember how to play. Joohyun folds her arms and almost scoffs.

“That is _not_ a _kind of,_ that is an, _I can play flawlessly!”_

A laugh escapes Dahyun as she randomly plays some notes before clicking her tongue multiple times in thought. Out of the blue, she taps the free space behind the keyboard and Joohyun sits down. Taking a deep breath in, the two of them look at each other once before Dahyun looks down at her keyboard and begins playing.

Joohyun is floored.

She almost clasps a hand over her mouth as she realises the song that Dahyun is playing.

Her absolute favourite song, and Joohyun bites the inside of her bottom lip.

If love had a sound, it would be the sound of Dahyun playing the piano.

And Joohyun just fell even deeper.

She keeps her eyes firmly locked on Dahyun’s focused gaze at the keys in front of her, as she effortlessly plays the song that Joohyun can’t stop listening to, can’t stop humming, can’t stop singing at any random moment.

Joohyun wonders when Dahyun learned how to play the piano.

She wonders when Dahyun learned to play her favourite song.

It’s not just a small extract either. It’s the full song.

And Joohyun can feel her heart beating in her chest as every note reaches her ears.

It’s a feeling she can’t describe, and when Dahyun finishes playing and looks up at her, Joohyun can’t help but cup her cheeks and pull her into a kiss that seems to last hours.

When they pull away, Dahyun mutters, “You’re welcome.”

They both fall in love all over again.


	4. Intern

One night, Dahyun reflects. She thinks. Recalls each pivotal moment in her life. Each turning point that changed her life for the better, because fuck negative energy.

Being accepted into her first choice of university - a tiny grin. Learning to play the piano - a bigger grin. Getting a job at one of the top photography agencies - an even _bigger_ grin.

Meeting Joohyun. Smiling from ear to ear.

Her eyes pan over to see Joohyun sitting at the opposite end of the sofa, reading a book. Dahyun’s busy sorting through her paperwork (of which there’s a fair bit) and Joohyun’s simply sitting cross-legged, reading a book, her glasses resting on the bridge of her nose.

“Love you, Joo,” Dahyun randomly says, and Joohyun blinks before looking over at her.

The corners of Joohyun’s lips turn upwards, “Love you too.” She looks back at her book and turns a page. Dahyun giggles to herself a little.

Definitely a pivotal moment.

\--

The following morning, Jeongyeon paces back and forth in her trailer, waiting for her make-up artist to arrive. Her friend and co-star, Vivi, is also there.

“Hey, Jeongyeon? What’s this?”

Jeongyeon turns to see Vivi holding the framed picture of the drawing Chaeyoung gave her. There’s only curiosity in Vivi’s tone as she admires the drawing.

“Oh! That, that’s…” Jeongyeon begins walking over to Vivi.

“This is the drawing that fan gave you, right?” Vivi asks, intrigued.

“Yes! This is that drawing,” Jeongyeon replies, taking the picture from her.

“It’s really good, whoever drew it is talented.”

Jeongyeon stares at the drawing and thinks very much the same thing. It had been a couple of weeks since she had been given the framed picture. Every time she sees it, a smile appears on her face.

“Yeah, ever since I saw it I wanted to have a framed copy of it. I just think it’s the coolest drawing ever,” Jeongyeon stared at the image, taking note of all of the details for the millionth time.

“Certainly is,” Vivi agrees, sitting down on the sofa. “Hey, do you know what scenes we’re filming today?”

“Did you not get the schedule?” Jeongyeon puts the picture back on the table.

Vivi shakes her head, “Nope, I’ve just been waiting and waiting for it but--”

Someone knocks at the door and Jeongyeon turns to see who it is. When she opens it, a member of staff appears, “Hi, have you seen--?” She turns her head and notices Vivi sitting on the sofa. “Oh! There you are,” the woman says, walking into Jeongyeon’s trailer with a piece of paper in her hand. “There’s the schedule, so sorry we didn’t get it to you on time, our printer’s not working the greatest at the moment so a lot of the actors and staff haven’t got their schedules yet.”

“Fair enough. Thank you,” Vivi says, taking the paper and standing up. “Well, I guess I should get back to my trailer.” Jeongyeon smiles as Vivi, along with the member of staff heads for the door. They say goodbye to Jeongyeon, who waves at them before shutting the door. She sighs loudly.

_‘Let’s get this day over with.’_

\--

Chaeyoung sits on the floor of Tzuyu’s room, drawing. She knows Dahyun and Joohyun are another one of their dates, so she keeps Tzuyu company while she makes her way through countless piles of paperwork.

“Who knew assignments could be so fun, eh?” Tzuyu wonders out loud, huffing as she scrolls through her documents finding the one she desperately needs because she didn’t set any time aside to categorise these files and put them into folders. Chaeyoung lifts her head to see Tzuyu sigh loudly.

"Stressing out?" she asks and Tzuyu huffs once more, their eyes meeting. Chaeyoung lets out a chuckle before dropping her pencil and saying, "Let's go grab a bite to eat."

"You sure?"

"Yeah! You need to have a break away from that goddamn laptop," Chaeyoung smiles, standing up. "Come on, let's go."

A small, thankful grin appears on Tzuyu's face as she closes the lid of her laptop and puts it to the side before stretching her arms. Standing up, she joins Chaeyoung and they leave the bedroom, Tzuyu turning off the light. They descend the stairs and put on their coats and shoes before grabbing their bags and heading out.

They end up sitting at a table in a small restaurant not too far from Tzuyu’s house. Sitting across from another, they look through their menus in comfortable silence before waiting for someone to come over and take their order. The two of them thank the waiter, who takes their menus with a smile and walks away.

“So,” Tzuyu begins, putting her elbows on the table, “I heard you gave Jeongyeon your drawing.”

Chaeyoung sighs and runs a hand through her hair. She then rests her forearms on the table, one on top of the other, and nods, “Yep. I certainly did.”

“How did that happen? Did she just…ask you?”

“Yeah, essentially,” Chaeyoung replies, still just as surprised. “It was honestly so out of the blue like…she just said she really liked my drawing and wondered if she could frame it and keep it.” Tzuyu’s eyes widen slightly as the story, her raised eyebrows also showing her shock. Chaeyoung notices and said, “Yeah, I know right?”

“Crazy world. Do you ever think you’ll see her again?” Tzuyu wonders as the waiter comes over and puts their drinks down in front of them, to which they both thank him before he walks away. Chaeyoung almost scoffs at the question once she’s had time to register it and she takes a sip of her cola.

“I…I don’t think so. Unless our boss gives us another job that involves her, I don’t think I ever will.”

Tzuyu shrugs, “Just a thought. I mean, she must like the picture a _lot_ to want to keep it in a frame and display it.” Chaeyoung ponders her words; Tzuyu has a point, but the blonde decides to not read into it. She drinks more of her cola and exhales. Jeongyeon’s face flashes in her mind, and Chaeyoung sees her smile. Involuntarily, she grins and stares at the table. “What?” Tzuyu snaps her out of her thoughts. The blonde looks up and hums in question. “You’re wearing your _idiot smile_ again.”

“My what now?”

“Your _idiot smile._ It’s the name I’ve given to that face you pull every time you’re either daydreaming or someone in particular’s on your mind.” Chaeyoung snorts a little; it’s not hard to believe that Tzuyu has put a name to “that face she pulls”. “So…which is it?”

The blonde stares at the younger woman and sees curiosity in her eyes. “Hmm, well...it’s both. Kinda.”

“Kinda?” Tzuyu lifts an eyebrow, waiting for her to elaborate.

Chaeyoung rolls her eyes, “Okay, fine. I’m thinking about Jeongyeon.”

Humming in response, Tzuyu drinks some of her lemonade before asking, “Do you...have a crush on her?”

Chaeyoung, who had lifted her glass to take another sip of her drink, almost chokes on it as she puts the glass back down. “Excuse me?” Tzuyu shrugs, thinking her question was completely harmless. “I can _not_ have a crush on Yoo Jeongyeon.”

“That doesn’t change whether you do or don’t have a crush on Yoo Jeongyeon. And you for sure do.”

The blonde tries her absolute hardest to hide the blush forming on her cheeks. She can’t lie: her heart did do mini backflips when Jeongyeon asked if she could keep the picture she drew for her. It was hard to determine the reason why before.

Chaeyoung couldn’t admit that she had a crush on the actress.

“I can’t have a crush on Jeongyeon…” Chaeyoung shakes her head defiantly as their meals arrive. There’s a new awkward air between them as they begin eating, Chaeyoung trying to push the thought that she has _any_ kind of feelings for Jeongyeon to the far back of her mind.

But you know what they say: the more you try to push a thought away, the more it tries to worm its way back into your brain.

\--

 _“How long have you been dating her now?”_ Seungwan asks on the other end of the phone.

“Almost five months,” Joohyun replies as she walks around her living room. It’s early in the morning, and Dahyun had stayed the night before.

Truthfully, Joohyun doesn’t know why Seungwan is calling her at 7am.

 _“God, has it really been_ that _long?”_

Joohyun wears an incredulous expression on her face even though Seungwan can’t see it, “Five _months,_ Wan, not five _years.”_

 _“Five months_ is _a long time for you.”_ Seungwan’s words feel like a slight punch to the gut as Joohyun is reminded of how her past relationships never lasted longer than a month because her partners either got bored, didn’t bother trying to work around schedules, or liked Joohyun for the glitz and glamour but never wanted to get to know her. Then Joohyun takes note of Seungwan’s tone and realises why she said it.

“You worried that it’s all too good to be true?”

A sigh can be heard. _“You know that I, much like the other three, just want what’s best for you.”_

Joohyun clicks her tongue. “Being with Dahyun is what’s best for me.”

Seungwan can hear the sincerity in her tone. _“I can see she makes you happy. I just don’t want you falling into the same trap that you did with your exes.”_

Shaking her head lightly, Joohyun places her free hand on her hip and sighs, “Dahyun isn’t like that. She loves me for me. Not just because I’m a model. In fact, I don’t even think she gives a shit that I’m a model. I mean, of _course_ she cares but…”

 _“It doesn’t make a difference to her, I get it,”_ Seungwan replies genuinely. There’s a pause. _“Do you love her?”_

Joohyun is taken aback by the question. So taken aback she might cry. “With all my heart, Wan. I love her so much. She cheers me up when I’m feeling down. She’s always there for me. She’s my rock, she's so supportive. I love her so much. I don’t want anyone, including her, to _ever_ doubt that.”

On the other end, Seungwan smiles. _“Tell her that. I’m sure she’d love to hear it.”_

Hiding her lips, Joohyun eyes the floor and nods to herself. “I will.”

_“Good. Look, I gotta go, got some stuff to catch up with. I’ll talk to you soon, yeah?”_

“Yeah, of course. Tell Seulgi I said hi,” Joohyun smiles.

 _“I will,”_ Seungwan replies, before they say goodbye to one another. Joohyun hangs up the phone and throws it onto the sofa in front of her. A few seconds later, Dahyun walks into the living room from the kitchen. Joohyun turns to see Dahyun standing there. Hair tied back into a loose ponytail. Wearing one of Joohyun’s oversized shirts along with a pair of sweatpants. Glasses sitting on the bridge of her nose as she carries two cups of coffee into the living room and places them down on the table.

Joohyun approaches Dahyun from behind and wraps her arms around her waist, resting her chin on Dahyun’s shoulder. “Good morning,” she whispers into the younger woman’s ear.

“Morning,” Dahyun replies rather lazily as she turns in Joohyun’s embrace. “Were you talking to Seungwan just now?” The older woman nods in response. “How is she doing?”

“She’s doing well. We just talked about things relating to work...and you.” Dahyun rolls her eyes a little as she pulls away and sits down on the sofa. “What?” Joohyun joins her.

“What did she say about me?” Dahyun wonders, turning to her left to face Joohyun and resting her elbow on the back of the sofa.

“Nothing! She didn’t say anything about you in particular,” Joohyun reassures. “She asked me how long we had been dating, so I said almost five months…” Dahyun raises an eyebrow, waiting for Joohyun to continue. “And then she mentioned how five months is a long time for me in terms of relationships.” This is new information for Dahyun, and it astonishes her. “My relationships have never lasted that long. In fact, before you, my longest relationship with anyone was two and a half months.” Tilting her head to the side, Dahyun wears a look of sadness on her face. “They would leave me after a while. All to do with me being a model in the end.” Joohyun scoffs a chuckle but it’s clearly forced. “Long story short, something about it annoyed them so they all just upped and left. Nothing was sorted out, talked through, none of that shit. Just...gone.”

Dahyun moves closer to Joohyun. Rests her hands on top of the model’s. Joohyun looks to her right, then up into Dahyun’s eyes, noticing how soft her gaze is. She can feel tears prick at the corners of her eyes. It’s hard to remember that the only reason someone “loved” her was her picture in the magazine and nothing else. Joohyun diverts her attention away but Dahyun reconnects their eye contact.

“You know I love you, right?” Dahyun asks. Joohyun nods. Hearing Dahyun say that. It almost breaks her heart. Why would Dahyun ever think that Joohyun doesn’t know? That Joohyun hasn’t been so sure of anything else before? That’s when Dahyun leans in and presses a soft kiss to Joohyun’s lips. The model’s eyes flutter shut as her hand moves down to Dahyun’s waist. Joohyun pulls away, feeling a single tear fall down her cheek. Dahyun quickly notices and wipes it away with her thumb. “Hey…” she says softly, and it calms Joohyun so much.

“You may have heard it while you were in the kitchen, but…” Joohyun briefly looks down, then glances back up at Dahyun. “I love you so much. And I want to thank you, for not turning away. For actually wanting to work things out with me. There were times...and I hate to say this, but...there were times, in the pit of my stomach, that I thought you were going to break up with me.”

Dahyun’s heart _drops._ Remembering what Joohyun had said about her previous relationships, Dahyun understands why, but it doesn’t make the initial sting go away.

“I know you’re different. You _are_ different. This relationship is nothing like my previous relationships, and I’m so grateful for that. But I guess...I’ve just been too used to it happening that a tiny part of me expected it to happen?” Joohyun says it in a way that even _she_ thinks it’s absurd that the thought _ever_ crossed her mind when it came to Dahyun. She knows she won’t have that fear anymore, because when Dahyun cups her face with both hands and stares at her intensely, Joohyun can see it in her eyes. “I love you...so much. You’re my rock. You’re always there for me. I want to be the same for you.”

“Trust me, you _are_ the same for me,” Dahyun responds concretely. “And I love you.” Their lips meet again. “I love you…” And again.

Joohyun smiles fondly as Dahyun pulls her into a tight embrace. She rests her chin on Dahyun’s shoulder and sighs happily. She feels at home with Dahyun.

And she wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

\--

Doyoung walks down the corridor towards his secretary’s office and peers around the corner.

“Nay? We have a new intern starting today, could you show her around and then ask Dahyun to supervise her?”

Nayeon glances up from the paperwork on her desk and sighs. “Sure. Got the folder with all her details?” she asks, standing up.

“Right here,” Doyoung replies, standing in the doorway and flicking through the paperwork in his hand. Once he finds the right folder, he pulls it out and hands it to Nayeon, who takes it and stares at the sticker with the intern's name written on it: _MYOUI MINA._

“Hmm, when is she arriving?”

“In about half an hour, just set up all the admin stuff, introduce her to the other employees.” He smiles at Nayeon, trusting that she knows exactly what to do, and she returns the gesture as Doyoung bows his head a little before leaving. Looking at the folder once again, Nayeon exhales and decides to get a coffee. She leaves her folder on her desk and walks out of her office to go to her coffee machine, smiling at other employees along the way. Stopping in front of the machine, she grabs a cup and places it under the dispenser to make herself a latte. Once it’s done, she takes it back to her office and sits down at her desk once again.

The next half an hour seems to go by quite slowly as Nayeon drinks her coffee, looks through the intern’s folder and checks her emails several times. Nayeon looks at the clock on the wall; it’s finally nearing 9am. She pushes herself away from her desk and stands up. Grabbing the blue folder, she saunters out of the office and towards the reception area where the intern would be waiting.

Mina sits on one of the leather chairs, twiddling her thumbs. The first person she met, a man named Doyoung, said that a woman called Nayeon would be supervising her on her first day. Nervous, she waits for said woman as she drums her fingers on her thighs.

Suddenly, a woman appears wearing a bright smile. She approaches Mina and says, “You must be the new intern. Myoui Mina, yes?” Mina nods quickly and stands, a similar smile on her face. “Hi, I’m Nayeon,” the woman greets her, holding out her hand. Mina shakes her hand quickly, her smile growing. “Let me show you around!” Mina thanks Nayeon as she follows her into the main office. The brunette looks around at how hectic it seems and Nayeon sees the slight panic on her face. “It’s okay, don’t worry. It may look a little hectic but honestly, this is just one of our busier days. A lot of the time it’s much quieter.” Nayeon smiles at Mina softly and it puts the brunette at ease. She talks Mina through everything about the agency and the offices before introducing her to the majority of the employees. It’s quite overwhelming for Mina, but she expected this. Finally, Nayeon directs Mina towards a certain employee and gets her attention, “Dub?”

Dahyun spins her chair around to face Nayeon and sees a woman standing beside her. “What can I do for you?”

“This is Mina,” Nayeon introduces the brunette to her left, “she’s the new intern.”

“Oh!” Dahyun replies with a friendly grin on her face and she holds out her hand for Mina to shake, which she does. “So I guess I’ll be supervising her, yes?” Nayeon nods. “Awesome!”

“Thank you so much. I’ve told Mina all the details about the agency and whatnot, you’ll be supervising her with the more detailed, work-related stuff,” Nayeon explains, to which Dahyun indicates that she understands. “Thanks again and, if you have any questions Mina, don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Thank you,” Mina replies in a quiet voice, bowing her head as Nayeon does the same before walking away and returning to her office.

“Well, Mina, yes?” The brunette nods. “Great! Well, Mina, have a seat,” Dahyun says, pulling a random desk chair towards her for Mina to sit on. Mina takes a seat; still feeling a little apprehensive, she picks at her nails as Dahyun quickly. shuffles a random stack of paperwork sitting on her desk. Turning back to face Mina, Dahyun says with a smile, “Welcome to the team, Mina.”

“Thank you so much for this opportunity,” Mina replies.

She can’t wait to start her internship.


	5. Promise

Dahyun walks behind Joohyun, covering her eyes as they inch closer and closer to the place that Dahyun had wanted to take her to.

"Can I look at where we are now?" Joohyun wonders.

"Not yet!" Dahyun replies. "Okay and…now!"

She removes her hands and a slightly startled Joohyun blinks a few times to become accustomed to her surroundings. In front of her, she sees the church and smiles, turning to the woman behind her.

"You kept your promise!" Joohyun beams.

"I am a woman of my word, my love," Dahyun replies, a smirk playing on her lips as Joohyun closes the distance between them with a kiss.

When they pull away, Joohyun turns to face the church again and says, "Please tell me you have your camera."

"Of course." Dahyun pulls the case out of her bag and shows Joohyun, who smiles excitedly before almost pulling on Dahyun's hand to drag her inside. Dahyun laughs. "Okay! Okay! Let's get inside."

Walking up to the door, Dahyun takes out the keys to the church and uses them on every lock before opening it. Joohyun smiles as she follows on behind Dahyun.

Joohyun missed the church. Dahyun eyes the older woman as she gazes around the place, taking it all in like it's the first time she's been there. "Shall we?" Dahyun asks, indicating the church.

Joohyun smiles at her, "We shall."

They walk side by side, hand in hand in the direction of the church. Opening the double doors dramatically, Dahyun leads Joohyun into the church as the model steps inside and twirls around once, taking everything in one more time. Joohyun imagines that every time she comes here it will feel like the first time.

Pivoting on the spot, Dahyun grins as she sees the look of admiration on Joohyun’s face. _‘I’m so glad I brought her here all those months ago.’_

Their eyes meet and Joohyun beams, “I love this place so much. Don’t ever stop bringing me here. It’s just so beautiful. And those stained glass windows!” Joohyun points at the windows behind Dahyun and the younger woman turns her body to gaze at them as well before bringing her attention back to her girlfriend. Sighing happily, Joohyun lets her arm fall and moves to sit down in the front row.

“Wait! Stay there,” Dahyun says out of the blue, and Joohyun looks at her to see her lift up the camera. Like it’s second nature, Joohyun morphs into a pose, crossing one leg over the other, resting her elbow on her knee and her chin on her hand. “Beautiful.” Joohyun puckers her lips a little and Dahyun smiles before taking more pictures. “Where else do you wanna have your picture taken?”

Joohyun turns around to look at the stained glass window at the back of the church, then brings her attention back to Dahyun, “In front of that window?”

“After you,” Dahyun grins, and Joohyun stands up before making her way over to the back of the church. Dahyun follows, and stops once she’s standing a few metres away.

Joohyun stands in front of the window and starts posing; Dahyun immediately starts taking pictures, completely mesmerised by her beauty. She stops every few seconds to look at the photo she’s taken, allowing Joohyun to change her posture and position. When Dahyun decides to look down at her camera for the fifth time, Joohyun turns her back and presses her hands against the glass, twisting her body to look over her shoulder. Once Dahyun looks back up, she tugs at the inside of her bottom lip at the sight.

“Gosh…”

Joohyun winks. Dahyun lifts up her camera again. Then, Joohyun turns again so her back is against the window, both hands above her head. Something in Dahyun snaps, and she takes off her camera and places it down on one of the seats. Joohyun smirks as Dahyun approaches her. Dahyun then holds onto her waist before pressing their lips together. Joohyun’s arms fall and she wraps them around Dahyun’s neck, the kiss growing deeper. Dahyun pulls away a little, teasing the corner of Joohyun’s lips as the older woman tips her head to the side just slightly. “Do it.”

Hearing those words, Dahyun presses a kiss to Joohyun’s neck.

Pressed against a stained glass window at the back of a church is the _last_ place they would’ve expected they would do this. A quiet _ah_ falling from Joohyun’s lips feels like an echo ringing throughout the entire building. Dahyun brings one hand up to hold Joohyun’s neck as their lips reconnect, but it’s not for long before Joohyun turns them around and presses Dahyun against the window, lips trailing along her jaw. Their fingers naturally interlock, and Joohyun’s lips only ghost over Dahyun’s neck for mere seconds before they hear the distant sound of the front door to the church opening and instantly put three feet of space between them.

In split seconds, Dahyun runs to pick up her camera and put it around her neck. The couple’s cheeks are still red and hot to the touch, the two of them unbelievably bashful. They hear footsteps getting louder as the mystery person makes their way to the church and opens one of the doors. “Oh! Afternoon Dahyun, Joohyun.”

Dahyun almost breathes a sigh of relief. Not that she would’ve necessarily wanted this person to see her and Joohyun in the middle of what they were just doing, but she feels somewhat grateful that it’s not anyone else. For some reason.

“Jihyo!” Dahyun says, and the short-haired woman in question turns and smiles.

“That is me,” Jihyo grins. “How are the two of you?”

“We’re...we’re good!” Dahyun answers, and Joohyun nods along as they both try to move on from the fact that they had one another pressed up against the stained glass window just seconds earlier.

“That’s good to know,” Jihyo beams as she struts past the altar and towards the seating area for the choir, holding a stack of papers in her hands. That’s when Dahyun remembers it’s the second Saturday of the month.

Joohyun moves closer to Dahyun and whispers, “What she up to?”

“Oh, yeah, it totally escaped my mind, um, on the second Sunday of every month the choir comes to the church to perform three extra hymns during the service, so, as the choirmaster, Jihyo has to set it up on the Saturday evening,” Dahyun explains, and Joohyun hums. Jihyo looks over at them from afar and sighs.

“Dub?” she calls out to her, and Dahyun turns her attention to the older woman. “Can I have a word?”

“Sure,” Dahyun replies and signals to Joohyun that she’ll be back in a minute. Once she reaches the choir section, she says, “Yeah?”

“This may sound like a very um, forward, I guess, question but...have you and your parents talked about you and Joohyun yet?” Jihyo wonders.

Dahyun exhales and looks towards the model, who takes a seat on one of the chairs and takes a deep breath in. Turning back to Jihyo, Dahyun shakes her head lightly. Jihyo can see how downhearted Dahyun feels about the whole situation. “Joohyun knows that...my parents don’t really see that side to our relationship.”

“Just see you as good friends, huh?” Jihyo deadpans, and Dahyun nods, sitting down on the top step of the altar. Putting down the stack of lyric sheets on one of the chairs, Jihyo sits beside Dahyun and takes her hand. Dahyun doesn’t meet her eyes, but instead fixates her gaze on Joohyun, who stares back at her with a tiny smile before her face falls a little.

Jihyo follows her eyes briefly then looks back at the younger woman, “Have you spoken to Joohyun about it?”

“Of course I have,” Dahyun responds quietly, meeting Jihyo’s eyes. “Joohyun understands.”

“She’s a really considerate woman,” Jihyo states, and Dahyun nods in agreement. “I bet you wish your parents would just see it for what it is.”

“All the…” Dahyun holds back. “...Time.” Jihyo chuckles, a little sadly, but holds onto Dahyun’s hand as the two of them stand up. “Every time they see the two of us together or see something in the media they turn to me and say something like _oh, she’s a really good friend,_ and it just...irks me.” She keeps her voice down as much as possible as Joohyun slowly makes her way down the aisle.

“I know, I know. I’m sure one day your parents will come around and,” Jihyo looks at Joohyun, “you know who to turn to if they never do.”

Dahyun gazes at Joohyun and smiles, letting go of Jihyo’s hand and making her way down the steps to meet her in the middle of the aisle. They kiss one another and Jihyo grins. _‘Such a married couple.’_

Joohyun cups Dahyun’s face as they pull away. Their eyes sparkle beneath the main light of the church. Dahyun’s heart felt a little heavy. Another peck to her lips lifts off the weight in seconds.

Behind Dahyun, Joohyun can see Jihyo standing there with her head tilted to the side. Out of nowhere, Jihyo asks Joohyun if the two of them can talk.

“Sure!” Joohyun replies. She pecks Dahyun’s lips again before they part ways, then walks over to Jihyo.

Jihyo takes her to the back row of the choir section and they sit down. Dahyun goes to the back of the church and keeps herself busy flicking through the photos, admiring them while also making sure they’re okay. In terms of lighting, of course. Joohyun looks perfect in any picture taken.

“What’s up?” Joohyun asks.

“I just want to be completely upfront and honest and say, thank you.” Thrown for a loop, Joohyun waits for Jihyo to elaborate. “I’m sure Dahyun’s told you about her parents.”

“So many times,” Joohyun responds with a hint of sadness in her tone. “She often apologises to me for the fact that her parents don’t understand or won’t understand or can’t understand and I just hug her every time and say _hey, it’s okay. I’m not going anywhere.”_

Jihyo smiles hearing this, “Dahyun’s probably told you a thousand times but, from me to you I’m so grateful for you staying by her side.”

“I love her with my entire heart. I just want her to be happy,” Joohyun says genuinely.

“And being with you makes her happy,” Jihyo states. Joohyun’s heart beats a little faster as she looks over to where Dahyun is sitting on one of the chairs.

“Being with her makes me happy too. I don’t think I ever loved someone so much. She’s so beautiful, so charismatic, she brightens everyone’s mood. She’s so talented, so skilled. Perfect in every way. She has the best sense of humour. I appreciate her so much.”

“Let me tell you this,” Jihyo says, bringing Joohyun’s attention back to her, “Dahyun’s not a woman of many words and she often feels quite shy completely opening up about how she feels. But let me say she has told me time and time again that you have turned her world around. She says to me she’s so lucky that she got the opportunity to meet you that day. To take your picture. She’s incredibly in love with you.”

Hiding her lips, feeling coy, Joohyun turns her head to see Dahyun look up; their eyes meet from across the way and Joohyun beckons her over. Dahyun puts her camera back in her case and makes her way over to the model, as Jihyo stands and says, “I’ll uh, go and sort out the music for tomorrow.” She winks at Joohyun before standing up and leaving the church, passing Dahyun along the way and smiling.

When Dahyun has reached the choir section, Joohyun takes her hand and pulls her onto her lap. Dahyun sits comfortably, wrapping her arms around Joohyun’s neck before running her finger’s through the model’s hair.

“I love you,” Joohyun says.

“I love you too,” Dahyun replies.

“Jihyo was uh...telling me a few things,” Joohyun admits, and Dahyun feels her cheeks getting warmer, knowing exactly what those _few things_ are. “And I’m so lucky to have met _you.”_

Dahyun meets her unwavering gaze and dips down to press a long, affectionate kiss to her lips. Joohyun rests her hand on Dahyun’s waist, then slowly moves it down until it’s sitting on her thigh, the sheer movement leaving goosebumps. The kiss lasts quite a while until they both need to pull away to take a breath.

“Please, promise me one thing,” Joohyun whispers. Dahyun nods. “That you’ll never doubt how much I love you. That you’ll never doubt how much I want to be with you. No matter what happens, we will get through it together.”

Dahyun finds Joohyun’s hand and interlocks their fingers. “Will you promise me one thing?” Joohyun nods. “That you’ll never question my love despite how little I might say.”

The sentence nearly breaks her heart, and wrapping her hand around Dahyun’s neck again, Joohyun pulls her in for another kiss that lasts seconds. “I promise,” she whispers against Dahyun’s lips.

“And I promise too,” Dahyun replies, and they press their foreheads together.

A vow made. A promise never broken.


End file.
